Expenditure on tertiary education in Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China: Expenditure on tertiary education was 29.4% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on tertiary education in Hong Kong, China, 1971–2018
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure on education.
Analysis
In 2018, expenditure on tertiary education in Hong Kong, China stood at 29.4%.
The figure is up 3.1% on the previous year and down 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on tertiary education in Hong Kong, China peaked at 45.5% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 1982.
That places Hong Kong, China 24th out of 160 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Expenditure on tertiary education in Hong Kong, China, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure on education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 24.6% | — |
| 1972 | 27.0% | +10.0% |
| 1973 | 20.5% | -24.1% |
| 1974 | 19.1% | -6.8% |
| 1975 | 23.0% | +19.9% |
| 1976 | 22.8% | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 24.1% | +5.4% |
| 1978 | 27.1% | +12.4% |
| 1980 | 31.8% | +17.7% |
| 1981 | 30.7% | -3.5% |
| 1982 | 3.1% | -90.0% |
| 1983 | 28.4% | +820.9% |
| 1984 | 28.0% | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 26.7% | -4.6% |
| 1990 | 31.8% | +19.1% |
| 1992 | 34.7% | +9.1% |
| 1996 | 40.0% | +15.5% |
| 2004 | 30.3% | -24.2% |
| 2005 | 28.4% | -6.6% |
| 2006 | 29.9% | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 30.7% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 30.9% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 45.5% | +47.5% |
| 2010 | 27.8% | -39.0% |
| 2011 | 28.7% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 32.8% | +14.5% |
| 2013 | 38.9% | +18.5% |
| 2014 | 29.2% | -24.8% |
| 2015 | 29.5% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 30.4% | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 28.5% | -6.4% |
| 2018 | 29.4% | +3.1% |
Hong Kong, China compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong, China's 29.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 21.9%, 1.3× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong, China's 29.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 17.3%, 1.7× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Expenditure on tertiary education in Hong Kong, China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | +820.9% | 3.1% | 28.4% |
| 1982 | -90.0% | 30.7% | 3.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 23.5% | 19.1% | 27.1% | 8 |
| 1980s | 24.8% | 3.1% | 31.8% | 6 |
| 1990s | 35.5% | 31.8% | 40.0% | 3 |
| 2000s | 32.6% | 28.4% | 45.5% | 6 |
| 2010s | 30.6% | 27.8% | 38.9% | 9 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong, China
More education data for Hong Kong, China
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 31,678 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,605 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 72,557 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 65,737 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 340,877 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 329,780 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.3 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0438 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on tertiary education in Hong Kong, China?
- Expenditure on tertiary education in Hong Kong, China was 29.4% in 2018, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest expenditure on tertiary education recorded in Hong Kong, China?
- The highest recorded value was 45.5% in 2009.
- What is the lowest expenditure on tertiary education recorded in Hong Kong, China?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 1982.
- How does Hong Kong, China rank for expenditure on tertiary education?
- Hong Kong, China ranks 24th out of 160 countries with data for 2018.
- Is expenditure on tertiary education rising or falling in Hong Kong, China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Hong Kong, China data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Expenditure on tertiary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.